1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a barrier used in landscaping to segregate a specified area such as the area surrounding a tree trunk from outside lawn or weed growth thereby preventing such additional agricultural growth from encroaching upon the area at the base of the tree, bush, or like plant being protected.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Use of edging structures to prohibit or at least restrict the growth of grass, weeds and like agricultural growth from specified areas such as those areas surrounding trees and the like is quite well known in the prior art. Typically, such prior art assemblies include some type of barrier which are designed to either surround a designated, landscaped area or adjoin a sidewalk, building, flower bed, etc. Certain known prior art structures, to be described in greater detail hereinafter, vary from relatively complicated structures having numerous interconnecting parts to relatively simple structures.
For example, the U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,319 to Tappan, et al discloses a bender board mounting system incorporating a holder for use in landscaping such as for holding elongated bender board strips or the like. The holder includes a U-shaped channel member fixedly or separately attached to a stake member. The legs or walls of the channel member are generally rigid yet resilient and may be equipped with inwardly extending tabs to firmly grip the board within the channel of the holder. Further, the stake member of this structure may include barbed portions for impeding withdrawal from the holder from the ground in which it is inserted.
Somewhat similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,491 to Ireland, et al. discloses corrugated landscaping edging made preferably from a polymeric plastic material and formed to include a planer faced surface attached or integrally formed with a corrugated central web portion. In typical fashion, the edging is placed on the ground to delineate boundaries of lawn or garden areas and provide an effective landscape retainer to contain dirt, bark, mulch or like substance within a confined area. The subject edging structure is retained in a predetermined and preferred position by using a plurality of stakes which are inserted normally by hand into the ground through the elongated channels formed between the planer face and the central web portion of the Ireland edging structure. Further, a reverse loop is formed on the stakes and configured so as to be placed into an adjacent channel of the edging structure to add security as well as allegedly enhancing the aesthetic appearance of the overall structure. The edging strips are attached to one another by "hair pin" connectors when a closed pattern is desired.
The U.S. Pat. No. 1,591,509 to Brookman discloses means for defining the edges of garden paths and flower beds and includes a piece or strip of suitable sheet metal of convenient length and width formed at its lower edge with a suitably spaced and preferably V-shaped spur disposed in spaced relation to one another along such edge. The structure is advantageously strengthened by vertically disposed corrugations extending along the piece of metal from its upper edge to the point of the aforementioned spur. In use, the spurs can be easily caused to enter the ground and the corrugations in addition to strengthening the metal enable the strip to be easily curved or bent to conform to the configuration of the flower bed or other landscaped area being protected.
Even in light of the above, there is still a need in this area for an effective, simple, low cost, high strength edging assembly which may be packaged in a manner which renders it efficient and desirable from a retail sale standpoint and also which allows such a preferred edging assembly to be used with greater versatility from a consumer standpoint.